BFrank

MUSIC: PLAYLIST; Swinging to Beats in the Past and Present Tense By BEN RATLIFF Published: April 29, 2007 Chu Berry Here comes Mosaic Records with another soil-core sample of jazz history, ''Classic Chu Berry Columbia and Victor Sessions,'' a slice through time and context tracing one man's work. The tenor saxophonist Chu Berry (real name: Leon), who died in 1941 at 33, played fast and wisely, with awesome harmonic smarts and a rich, even tone. This seven-disc set amounts to a little less than eight years of recording, but the records came during the end of jazz's bustling innocence, when it was crowded with geniuses and not looking back. Here Mr. Berry moves mostly like a sideman through the orbits of more than a dozen bands, brushing up against one powerhouse after another. There's the plump, easy swing of the Chocolate Dandies records of 1933, directed by Benny Carter; the extreme toughness of Bessie Smith singing ''I'm Down in the Dumps''; the manic energy of Gene Krupa's Swing Band in 1936; the intensive, percussive authority of Clyde Hart's piano soloing in Lionel Hampton's sextet; and Milt Hinton's hummingbird bass pluckings with Cab Calloway's orchestra. And through it all, Mr. Berry sounds ecstatic, playing all over his horn. That he died just as bebop was beginning is a rankling thought. (Available from mosaicrecords.com.)

Get 'em. Those are 2 of the best CTIs ever. You can't go wrong with either one.

thrilljockey has the mp3 available @$10 If you're going to DL MP3s, you might as well join eMusic for a couple of dollars more....and DL a TON of other stuff while you're there.

Works for me! Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I never really listened to it much from the beginning. Maybe it's time to pull it out again.

I haven't seen anyone in Live Chat for a while. Conn? Free? Ag? Barak? ... anyone?

Don't know if it's "spiritual" or not, but it sure is good.

Were Elvin & Fred Hopkins on that album, too?

If Murray "can't play at all", how on earth did he get McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones & Fred Hopkins to record "Special Quartet" with him? After all, two of those guys are "Coltrane-linked". I can't fathom THAT.

I definitely recommend "Morning Song"

Both "Focus" (w/Stewart) and "Blythe Byte" (w/o Stewart, w/bass) are available on eMusic.

"Case in point", cont. Capt. Beefheart boots (?).

just reissued on mosaic. Full set, "Select" or "Single"?

That is from 2000, but it cracked me up then, too.

Interesting, Rooster. I happen to think that "The Kicker" and "Tetragon" are 2 of Joe's better post-BN albums. Go figure ...

Very shocking. I've been a fan of his since his Vietnam reporting.

That is good. No mention here of the death of Brant Parker - Hart's partner in the creation of "Wizard of Id". He died 8 days after Hart. Amazing.

Winwood, Wood and Mason are all on Electric Ladyland on various tunes.

There's at least a couple of Fred Anderson albums worth checking out. "Back At The Velvet Lounge" "On The Run: Live At The Velvet Lounge"

FWIW, Jimi's last live performance is available from Dagger Records. THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE: LIVE AT THE ISLE OF FEHMARN "Live At The Isle Of Fehmarn" features The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s final live performance on September 6, 1970 during the Love & Peace Festival held on the Isle Of Fehmarn in Germany.

Oh, yeahhhhhhh ....